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Teaching elementary-school students how science and engineering concepts relate to real-world applications is just as important as building those students' reading and basic math skills, writes education consultant Doug Haller. In this blog post, Haller lists ways educators can incorporate science, technology, engineering and math into their elementary-school classrooms.

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The Next Generation Science Standards will "breathe new life" into science education, according to Doug Haller, principal of Haller STEM Education Consulting. In this blog post, Haller writes about how two tenants of the new standards -- practices and crosscutting concepts -- will help foster authentic learning. He also writes about the opportunities, plus the challenges, that accompany the standards.

Social networks are being used by teachers and students alike to share information related to science, technology, engineering and math, and the possibilities for expanding that use continue to grow, Doug Haller, principal of Haller STEM Education Consulting, writes in this blog post. For example, the Global Ozone Project connects thousands of middle- and high-school students on a social network where they can share data and ask questions. IGERT.org offers a place for graduate students to interact directly with scientists and engineering.

In this blog post, Ricky Ribeiro of EdTech magazine highlights steps some districts have taken to build successful programs in science, technology, engineering and math. For example, several Chicago schools have partnered to provide Web-development learning opportunities for area students. Ribeiro also highlights a Washington, D.C., school where educators are using creative methods and relationship-building to strengthen STEM programming.

Just two years after its launch, Apple's iPad tablet computer already has begun to change education. In districts that have been early adopters of iPads, there is some evidence that the devices improve student achievement. In one district, students using iPads earned higher scores in algebra than their peers who did not use the devices. Teachers also said iPads help engage students in learning. However, the iPad's cost is cited as an obstacle to widespread use of the device in schools.

In California, some are describing a reinvention of schooling as more students engage in some form of digital learning. In Modesto-area schools, high-school math students maintain a Facebook page, a teacher uses Twitter for assignments and other teachers regularly use iPad tablet computers in classroom lessons. "[Technology] puts resources in the hands of parents that they can use to help their kids and it delivers timely information about grades, attendance and school activities," said John Scott, Modesto City School's director of information and technology.